Environmental Science and Studies

Environmental Biology Track

The major in Environmental Science and Studies with an Environmental Biology track requires 72-83 units. Students select this track if their primary interest is in the ecological components of natural systems. Students graduating from this area are prepared for graduate programs, or careers in environmental consulting, environmental monitoring, restoration ecology, conservation biology, environmental compliance, watershed protection and other similar fields.

Required Courses

Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics(39-46 units)

BIOL

201

Cellular Biology and Genetics (4 units)

BIOL

202

Introduction to Ecology, Evolution and Behavior (4 units)

CHEM

CHEM

110

or

131, 131L

General Chemistry I (4 units)

General Chemistry (3 units Lec, 1 unit Lab)

CHEM

CHEM

111

or

132, 132L

General Chemistry II (4 units)

General Chemistry (3 units Lec, 1 unit Lab

GEOL

121

Physical Geology (4 units)

One of the following:

BIOL

205

General Botany (4 units)

BIOL

207

General Zoology (4 units)

One of the following:

BIOL

310

Conservation Biology (4 units)

BIOL

402

General Ecology (4 units)

BIOL

435

Plant Ecology (4 units)

One of the following:

CHEM

330

Essentials of Organic Chemistry (5)

CHEM

331-332

Organic Chemistry I, II (5,5)

One of the following:

MATH

119

Pre-Calculus (4 units)

MATH

211

Calculus for Applications (3 units)

One of the following:

MATH

231

Basic Statistics (3 units)

MATH

237

Elementary Biostatistics (4 units)

GEOG

375

Quantitative Methods in Geography (3 units)

ECON

205

Statistics for Business and Economics (3 units)

Social Sciences/Humanities (18 units)

One of the following Advanced Writing Courses:

ENGL

318

Advanced Informational Writing (3 units)

ENVS

337

The Chesapeake Bay and Its Watershed (3 units)

One of the following:

HLTH

451

Introduction to Environmental Health (3 units)

PHIL

255

Environmental Ethics (3 units)

Two, two-course sequences:[2, 6-unit sequences—an upper-level and a lower-level course in the same discipline—from two disciplines]

ECON

201

Microeconomic Principles (3 units)

ECON

375

Environmental Economics (3 units)

or

ECON

376

Natural Resource Economics (3 units)

GEOG

101

Physical Geography (3 units)

GEOG

410

Environmental Geography (3 units)

POSC

103

American National Government (3 units)

or

POSC

207

State Government (3 units)

POSC

421

Politics and Environmental Policy (3 units)

Applications(3 units)

One of the following:

ENVS

482

Environmental Research (3 units)

ENVS

485

Environmental Internship (3 units)

ENVS

491

Senior Seminar (3 units)

Electives(13-16 units)

Three courses from the following list and one additional upper-level course from any of the Environmental Science and Studies tracks:

BIOL

309

Genetics (4 units)

BIOL

310**

Conservation Biology (4 units)

BIOL

315

Medical Microbiology (4 units)

BIOL

325

Environmental Animal Physiology (4 units)

BIOL

341

Fresh Water Algae (4 units)

BIOL

347

Marine Biology (3 units)

BIOL

353

Invertebrate Zoology (4 units)

BIOL

402**

General Ecology (4 units)

BIOL

406

Limnology (4 units)

BIOL

432

Vascular Plant Taxonomy (4 units)

BIOL

435**

Plant Ecology (4 units)

BIOL

436

Plant Physiology (4 units)

BIOL

446

Tropical Ecology and Conservation (3 units)

or

BIOL

447

Tropical Field Ecology (4 units)

BIOL

452

Wetlands Ecology (4 units)

BIOL

455

Fish Biology (4 units)

BIOL

456

Ornithology (4 units)

BIOL

458

Mammology (4 units)

BIOL

461

Entomology (4 units)

BIOL

467

Herpetology (4 units)

CHEM

480

Chemical Toxicology (3 units)

**One of the two ecology courses, not taken as "required," can be used as an elective.